Fr. Bob's Corner

I was reviewing the links on the parish website (bvmparish.com) when an article on John Allen’s widget caught my eye. The title read: “In Brazil, one catholic mass you will never forget.” Intrigued, I clicked for the full article which described in great detail a Mass celebrated in an old factory by a Padre Marcelo Rossi. After reading the article, I googled the the good Padre and confirmed that he was a household name across Brazil with super-star status and rock star events. And, indeed, every age group(male and female) was responding, as the article stated.

I’m posting some links on Padre Rossi so that you can see what is happening in Brazil. I suspect you will have mixed reactions as did the readers of John Allen’s article which I post here for you to read also. Here is one video of many that you can view to sense the flavor, and here is another link to several videos. If you want more just google. Before you watch anything, I suggest you read about John Allen’s experience.

[Fr. Edward L. Cleary is a professor of political science and the director of Latin American studies at Providence College.]

Fr. Edward Cleary has just published a new book on faith, religion, and the Latin American people. It is a must read for all those interested in our brothers and sisters in this part of America. In the last forty years much has happened to undermine the faith of these staunchly catholic people. But, there are seeds of hope, and wonderful things happening that offer promise for the future of Christianity and the the Catholic Church in this part of the world. Although the Pentecostal Church has spear headed a major religious revival and recruited thousands of new members, Catholicism has become more dynamic and fostered a more committed faith response. Just listen to these statistics that Fr. Cleary reports:

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Catholic World News (CWN)

Two NCR reporters investigate our neghbors in the South.
NCR’s Series on Latin America TodayIn this series, journalists Paul Jeffrey and Barbara Fraser explore trends and the people behind them, uncovering both persistent, long-term problems and emerging changes. They interviewed more than 100 people — including theologians, sociologists, economists, educators, women, children, church workers, indigenous leaders, politicians, bishops, experts on international policy, and grass-roots activists — in 16 countries. They looked particularly for new voices, people who offered fresh perspectives on the forces shaping life throughout Latin America today. What follows is a view of Latin America and where it is headed through primarily Latin American eyes.